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Aussie sevens to practice against Scots

Ben Horne

Australia head into this weekend's sevens rugby competition at the Commonwealth Games with four stars who haven't played in at least a year and a coach who took over a month ago.

Two practice matches against Scotland this week will be relied upon by new mentor Geraint John to run the cobwebs out of his game-shy squad.

Wallaby Liam Gill hasn't featured in the lightning-fast format since 2010, Sean McMahon moved to the Melbourne Rebels full-time late last year and Pama Fou and Tom Cusack are making their returns from season-long injuries in Glasgow.

Sevens scratch matches involve little more contact than a game of touch footy, but John hopes by playing hosts Scotland, Australia can receive a slightly more scrutinised preparation which most mirrors tournament conditions.

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Australia will prepare at the Academy Grounds in Glasgow on Tuesday afternoon (early morning Wednesday AEST) and again on Thursday afternoon local time - with the plan to give all squad members valuable time in the middle.

Unlike pool rivals England, who have played four tournaments since the end of the International Rugby world series in May, John - who transferred to Australia from Canada in late June - is yet to see his players perform outside of intra-squad games.

"It would have bee nice to have more games. England have just come from a field tournament plus a warm-up tournament last week. European teams have an advantage over everyone else," he said.

"Scotland play a certain type of game. They move the ball a lot. They will test our defensive systems, which is something that will be good.

"It will put them in those situations which they'll hopefully face on Saturday and Sunday.

"By playing Scotland, you know there's going to be a little bit more publicity and maybe media ... and cameras around their team and around what were doing. It will help our focus."